Courtesy of Judith Gregg Librarian Catherine Arbogast heads out with a personalized book delivery from the Los Altos main library.

Love of learning and curiosity about the world sometimes grow only more urgent as a person spends more and more time at home, limited by age, health condition, or both. Librarians head out from the Los Altos main l...

Already known as an innovator in the tech field, Google Inc. is now moving in on the art world.

The Mountain View-based company July 11 launched the “Paint the Town” contest, a “moving art experiment” that invites California residents over the age of 13 to submit physical or digital artwork that would decorate the door...

Traci Newell/Town Crier The six-week, tuition-free Stretch to Kindergarten program, hosted at Bullis Charter School, serves children who have not attended preschool. A teacher leads children in singing about the parts of a butterfly, above.

courtesy of Rishi Bommannan Rishi Bommannan cycled from Bates College in Maine to his home in Los Altos Hills, taking several selfies along the way. He also raised nearly $13,000 for the Livestrong Foundation, which supports cancer patients.

The Town Crier’s recent article on coyotes venturing down from the foothills in search of sustenance referenced the organization Project Coyote (“Recent coyote attacks keep residents on edge,” July 1). Do not waste your time contac...

Photos by Alicia Castro/Town Crier Local residents participate in an exercise class at the Grant Park Senior Center, above. Betsy Reeves, below left with Gail Enenstein, lobbied for senior programming in south Los Altos.

Grace Wilson Franks, our beloved mother and grandmother, left us peacefully on July 16, 2015 just a few weeks short of her 92nd birthday. She was born to Ross and Florence (Cruzan) Wilson in rural Tulare, California on Septem...

Most of us have a place inside our hearts and minds that occasionally causes us trouble. For some, it is sadness, depression or despair. For others, it may be fear, anger, resentment or myriad other emotional “dark places” that at times seem to hij...

The credit reports of approximately 80 percent of consumers contain errors, according to an expert who spoke at a recent Silicon Valley Association of Realtors meeting in Mountain View.

Kevin Kust, a credit specialist with Continental Credit, said that if not corrected, the errors can remain on a report for seven to 10 years and undermine the client’s credit rating. A bad credit report could jeopardize a buyer’s chances of securing a home loan, he added.

Many mortgage lenders use FICO, the most widely known type of credit score, to determine the interest rate, terms of the loan and whether to extend credit to a consumer. FICO credit scores range from 300 to 850, with an Excellent rating ranking 700-850; Good, 680-699; OK, 620-679; Low, 580-619; and Bad, 500-579.

Kust explained how to obtain a high score in each category, assigning percentages to importance.

• Payment history (35 percent): Maintain a positive history by paying your bills on time and correcting any inaccuracies on your credit report.

• Amounts owed (30 percent): Check your revolving credit, balance and limit ratios. Secure credit cards show a revolving debt and take the risk off banks. Pay off each card to a zero balance.

• Length of history (15 percent): Maintain old accounts because they provide you with a credit history. Closing accounts can bring down your score. Use all your credit cards occasionally so that they remain active.

• New credit and inquiries (10 percent): Applying for a lot of credit before applying for a mortgage loan could indicate financial problems. FICO allows a 45-day “shopping window” with no adverse effect on your score.

• Types of credit used (10 percent): Your score is based on the mix of different types of credit and how many total accounts you have. Don’t open new accounts just to increase the types of credit you have.

For more information, email Rose Meily at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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